Conventional wiring harnesses are composed of bundles of mechanically bound individual wires which are attached to the vehicle structure with mechanical tie-downs, and finished on each end with complex and expensive connectors. FIG. 1 shows a conventional satellite wiring harness.
As shown in FIG. 1, these conventional cables do not precisely conform to the surface structure on which or in which they are used.
Sophisticated spacecraft and air craft comprise a multitude of electronic systems which contribute to the volume and weight payload of the craft. The cables, interconnections between electronic components and systems, also contribute significantly to the weight and volume payload of aircraft, satellites, missiles and the like. Similar load constraints and electronic design demands exist in marine and unmanned vehicles.
For existing aerospace programs to succeed and for new systems to be successfully developed, small flexible cabling is desirable, and could even be necessary. In addition, for avionics based applications, in particular, cables must also be very reliable and meet applicable standards.
Conventional cabling is labor intensive with respect to engineering and manufacturing. Further, conventional cabling systems are difficult to install in a vehicle and require bulky support brackets and terminations.
In view of the conventional cabling characteristics and the demands on avionic systems in terms of reliability and minimal contribution to vehicle mass, it is easy to see that small, light, reliable cables are desired.
There are additional considerations for cables, that is ease of fabrication and ease of interfacing with connectors.
Applications other than aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles could also benefit from a reduction in the weight and volume of electronic system components while maintaining or even improving system reliability. For, example commercial aircraft now include various electronic services for passengers, even to the individual passenger level. This evolving service can contribute significantly to the weight of the aircraft. A flat flexible cable could, for example, be mounted within the walls of a structure, within a furnishing, or within the casing of a portable system.
USB is a serial bus standard to interface devices. The prevalence and variety of USB devices, which include human interface devices, has reached astronomic numbers. Consequently, small, flexible, reliable cabling which meets 2.0 USB standards will have a multitude of applications.
For satellite and other aerospace applications, in particular, yet another need may be a flat cable.